Iraqi Letter

IRAQI LETTER is a blog dedicated to news reports and viewpoints of Iraqi democrats and Left activists. It endeavours to cover important events and relevant activities of Iraqi democratic groups inside Iraq and abroad.
IRAQI LETTER hopes to contribute to a better understanding of the current complex and difficult situation in Iraq, and the multifaceted struggle of Iraqi democrats for a free, fully sovereign, unified, democratic and federal Iraq.

Sunday, 3 July 2016

Iraqi Communist Party mourns three comrades killed in cowardly terrorist
bombing in Baghdad

The Political Bureau of the Iraqi Communist Party mourned a number of
its members and supporters who were killed in the cowardly terrorist attack
which took place in Karradah district in Baghdad around midnight on Saturday 2nd
July 2016. Among the martyrs were the young comrades: Adel Qais al-Jaf, Hameed
Majid Rashid and Faysal Mohammed Salman.

The party statement said that the criminal murderers have aimed through this
terrorist act, which resulted in tens of people being killed while preparing to
celebrate Eid marking the end of Ramadan, “to kill any opportunity for joy in
our country Iraq which has been plagued by terrorism, corruption and failure”.

“While strongly condemning this cowardly act, we convey deepest condolences
to the families of the martyrs and wish the injured and wounded a speedy
recovery. Our people shall triumph in their battle against Daesh and all
terrorists,” it added.

Saturday, 4 June 2016

The Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party held a meeting on 26th
May 2016 which discussed the latest developments in the country as well as the
preparations for the party’s 10th National Congress.

At the beginning of the meeting, a minute of silence was observed in
honor of the martyrs of the fight against Daesh, the victims of the cowardly
terrorist attacks, the martyrs of the popular protest movement, the martyrs of
the party and comrades and friends who have passed away recently and who had a
role in building the party and defending the cause of the people, the homeland and
the interests of toilers.

The meeting considered the recent political developments in our country
since the previous meeting of the Central Committee, held in March 2016. These
developments were studied in detail and the party direction for the coming
period was drawn up, including the tasks facing its organizations, members and
supporters.

The meeting pointed out the fact that the general conditions of the
country are moving toward greater complexity, tensions and deadlock, after many
initiatives that had been presented for resolving the crisis were ignored by
the dominant ruling groups that have insisted, until now, on putting their own selfish
interests ahead of the higher interests of the country. They refuse to show
flexibility and make mutual concessions to save the homeland from the deterioration
it is suffering in all political, economic, social and security areas.

The meeting considered that a refreshing light amid this darkness is
shining from the battlefields of the fight against terrorism and its
organizations, in the forefront of which is Daesh. Our armed forces, including
the army, police, Peshmerga, volunteers in the popular mobilization forces and
the people of areas that have been plagued by Daesh, have been scoring one victory
after another, especially the recent notable successes achieved in Ramadi,
Heet, Kubaisah and Rutbah, and on the front of Makhmour and Nineveh plain. In addition, progress is now being made on
the path of liberating the district of Fallujah from the grip of terrorism, as
signaled by the liberation of Karmah.

On this occasion, the meeting reiterated our party's support for the
battle against terrorism and to rid our country of its evils and crimes. It
also reiterated its call for vigilance against hostile elements who do not want
our country to progress in the direction of establishing security and
stability, especially those who stir up sedition and sectarian sentiments and
serve foreign agendas. It stressed the need to foil their plans through
uniting, supporting the fighters and taking care of the families of martyrs.

The meeting emphasized the duty to spare innocent civilians the horrors
of war and its consequences, and to care for the displaced and provide
everything they need, including shelter, food and medicine. Efforts should be
exerted to ensure their speedy return to their towns and villages that have
been liberated from Daesh, along with launching a national campaign to rebuild them,
and to appeal to the world and international organizations to support this
campaign. Care must be taken to give the responsibility for the reconstruction operations
to the sincere people of these areas, who have not misappropriated public money
and are untarnished by corruption.

The meeting called upon the government and the security forces to provide
security and protection for the citizens and their property, and to prepare for
and anticipate the aggressive schemes and evil vengeful spirit of Daesh after
the defeats it suffered on the battlefield and the foiling of the schemes of the
enemies of our people to stir up and fuel sectarian strife.

In regard to the existing intractable political crisis, the meeting
called for breaking the vicious cycle, and that all parties should be aware of
the dangers of the situation and the possibility of its descent to a worse
situation. It stressed the necessity of sparing our people and homeland the bad
and dangerous choices which would result in going backwards. In this context, the
meeting renewed the call for convening a quorate session of the Parliament and
without preconditions, for completing the formation of the government after filling
its vacant posts, and to begin the implementation of existing obligations. The
issue of the Parliament’s presidium can be discussed and decided upon in
accordance with the Constitution and the working mechanisms of the Parliament,
and not to make it an excuse to prolong the crisis and evade responding to the
demands of the masses and their protest movement.

This would constitute the beginning of moving forward along the path of
reform and change. The status quo cannot continue, and change has become a
popular demand and an urgent need, not a slogan that is raised for political
consumption. The ruling forces must realize that procrastination can only lead
to more social and political complexity and tensions, which is rejected by the masses
who are becoming increasingly aware of the need for immediate serious reforms. The
people’s suffering is mounting due to the deterioration of the living conditions
and services, the indirect taxes imposed on them, and the impact of economic
stagnation and the drop in oil revenues, which has affected the state’s public
expenditure, as well as reducing investment projects, causing higher rates of
unemployment and an increase in poverty.

All this is a result of the wrong policy of governance and undemocratic
mentality, of mismanagement of the country, insisting on the abhorrent
sectarian-ethnic quota system and the absence of logical and scientific
planning. In this context, the meeting rejected attempts to throw the burden of
the financial and economic crisis on the shoulders of the toilers, the poor and
those with limited income, who have suffered so much a result of several
factors including the deterioration of the actual value of the Iraqi dinar, rising
prices and shortages or scarcity of the services offered by the state,
particularly in the areas of electricity, transport, water and health.

The meeting considered that required reform must be comprehensive, and
should start with the formation of a government of competent persons with
integrity that is capable of running the country in these difficult
circumstances. Reform must then extend to all the independent commissions, special
grades and state institutions. The cases of corruption must be opened and the
corrupt should be sent to the courts, in addition to reforming the judiciary. Real
and effective steps must be taken towards deepening the democratic process, building
a state based on citizenship, the law, institutions and social justice.

The meeting concluded that to achieve this, more popular pressure is
required. This necessitates developing
the popular protest movement and coordination, and diversifying and increasing
its means and activities, paying attention to those on regional and sectoral
levels. It stressed the need to maintain the peaceful character of the protest
movement and warned against the efforts of some to implicate it in violence in
order to make it easier to circumscribe it and eventually suppress it. That is
what the anti-reform forces are seeking assiduously, sparing no means to
achieve it. Therefore the peaceful character of the protest movement must be
sustained and adhered to, and not to be dragged into provocations and to what
is planned by those seeking to maintain their positions, influence and
interests while the country descends uninterruptedly towards the worse.

While stressing the peaceful and civilized character of the protest
movement and the need to protect private and public property, the meeting has
strongly condemned the excessive use by the authorities and government agencies
of violence and resorting to the use of live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear
gas and hot water cannon. This constitutes an explicit and blatant violation of
the Constitution and the right of citizens to demonstrate peacefully and of
human rights in general. This requires opening an impartial investigation, as
demanded by the United Nations, and the referral of those responsible for
committing crimes of deliberate killing to justice. The government should
apologize to the families of the victims, and for the positions it took and the
phrases it used in its statements which contained insults and abuse against the
movement of millions of people. If there were a few infiltrators, as it is
saying, then it should arrest them and announce this transparently to the
people. It must also honor the martyrs and care for the wounded and the injured
and compensate them.

The Central Committee meeting dealt with the situation in the Kurdistan
region, and stressed the need to spare the region and its people the possible
consequences of the conflict raging between the ruling Kurdistan parties, and
the effects of the worsening of an already tense situation. All of this
increases the suffering of the people that has been caused by the economic stagnation,
the cost of the war against Daesh, the non-payment of salaries, and the
regression in the process of development, reviving the economy and fighting
corruption, as well as slackening in government institutions.The
meeting stressed the need to continue constructive
dialogue between the various parties, evoke the valuable lessons of the past
and benefit from them.

On the other hand, the meeting stressed the need to improve the
performance of the party and its organizations, develop and elevate its work,
build bridges with the wider masses, adopt their just demands and defend them, and
expand the party's relations with the various strata and segments of society. Greater
attention should be devoted to the Democratic Current and developing its role.
Efforts should also be exerted to expand the relations of cooperation and
coordination with civil activists and democrats generally, as well as the
various patriotic and moderate enlightened Islamic forces and personalities. In
addition, a broad alignment, popular and political, should be built to support
reform and change, to get our country out of the current situation, get rid of
the sectarian-ethnic quota system, and work to build a democratic civil state.

The meeting considered the ongoing preparations for the convening of
the party’s 10th National Congress, and what has been achieved so
far to respond to this big event in the life of the party. In this regard, the
meeting adopted a number of measures to complete the preparations, to finalize
the documents of the Congress and publish them in the party media, and to
launch a broad discussion of the documents with the aim of scrutinizing and
enriching them. This is so because they do not only concern the party but all
of our people who are concerned about the country's progress and stability. The
meeting also determined the timetable for convening the conferences of party
organizations on local and provincial levels, in order to discuss the general
political line of the party and elect delegates to the National Congress.

The Central Committee meeting called upon the party organizations and comrades
to transform the preparations for the 10th National Congress to
events, activities and initiatives that are aimed at securing a strong party
presence in the mass protest movement, developing its role in the public political
life, and providing political and material support and backing to the party so
as to enhance its capabilities on all levels.

Saturday, 30 April 2016

Statement
of the Political Bureau of theIraqi Communist
Party

on the
latest developments

Our capital Baghdad has
witnessed today (30th April 2016) important developments with large
numbers of demonstrators and protesters storming the parliament building.

It took place after the
postponement of the session of parliament to the 10th of May, at a
time when the masses of people in front of the Green Zone and Tahrir
(Liberation) Square were waiting for the parliament’s session to be held today
to resolve the cabinet reshuffle in accordance with their demands, so as to be
the beginning of renouncing the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system that was
adopted by the ruling forces and blocs in setting up the structure of the political
system and its administration.

The insistence of some of
the dominant ruling blocs to stick to the policy of power-sharing, and resorting
to more procrastination and reneging on promises and deadlines, was the direct
cause of fueling the resentment and anger of the protesters, and pushing them
to enter the Green Zone. This could have been avoided if there had been sincere
intentions and a rapid response to the legitimate demands of the masses, and if
serious steps were taken by the parliament and government that would have indicated
a serious approach to move along the path of real and comprehensive reform.

While we hold the ruling
groups responsible for the present situation in the country, with all the grave
dangers it entails, especially at this critical time when our people and armed
forces in all their formations are waging the battle against terrorism and Daesh,
we warn that obstinacy and insistence on sectarian power-sharing threaten to produce
other ominous crises.

We believe that it is
now essential that an urgent meeting of the parliament is held, to approve the
formation of the full new cabinet on the basis of competence, integrity and
professionalism, away from power-sharing and allocation of posts, to be the
first step in a comprehensive reform plan which must also include the
independent bodies and special senior posts in government.

At this critical moment
we call on the demonstrators and protesters to continue to adhere to the
peaceful character of the demonstrations and to renounce any form of violence,
and to protect public and private property and show high discipline, so as to
deny anyone who wants to harm the peaceful, constitutional and civil character
of the mass protest movement the opportunity to do so.

On the other hand, the
stance of the security forces and their discipline and professionalism have played
a major role in safeguarding life and property, and protecting the
demonstrators and protesters and ensuring their safety, is worthy of
recognition and praise.

Continued peaceful
popular pressure is still required until there is full compliance with the just
and legitimate demands of the demonstrators and protestors; for political and
judicial reform, ending the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing, combating
corruption and bringing the corrupt to account, the provision of public
services, and alleviating the burden of the economic and financial crisis on
the shoulders of the toilers and low-income people.

Tuesday, 8 December 2015

An editorial article published on 7th December
2015 in the daily newspaper “Tareeq Al-Shaab” (People’s Path), issued by the Iraqi
Communist Party, strongly condemned Turkey’s military incursion into Nineveh
province in northern Iraq. The following
is a translation of this article:

“We have followed, along with our people, with great concern the reports
about the new Turkish military incursion into Iraq, this time in the province
of Nineveh (Mosul), under the pretext of assistance in the training of forces
to liberate the province from the terrorist organization Daesh.

“This is actually not the first
time that the Turkish forces sweep into Iraqi territory, or that its warplanes
violate Iraq’s airspace to perform tasks that are part of Turkey’s agenda and
objectives. Ankara has gone too far in the use of its agreement with Saddam’s dictatorial
regime which had allowed its troops to deploy into Iraqi territory to a depth
of up to 20 kilometers under the pretext of fighting against the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) which it characterizes as a "terrorist
organization".

“The Turkish military presence inside Iraqi territory had continued
during the so-called "fratricidal war" in the Kurdistan region during
the 1990s, and was not rectified even after the change in 2003, both under the US
occupation or the successive governments in power since then and until the
present day.

“The disclosure of this new
military incursion and discussing it publicly has unveiled the root of the problem
and exposed the continued violation by the Turkish forces of the sovereignty
and independence of our country, and blatant interference in the our country's internal
affairs, whereby Turkey gives itself the right to declare its protection for
this or that of Iraqi groups, giving rise to reactions of anxiety, apprehension
and fear.

“The current conditions of our country, the difficulties it is facing
and its national battle against terrorism and Daesh, and its need for
support and assistance, are not supposed to justify violating Iraq's
sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as international legitimacy.

“In this context, it is not acceptable that the Security Council
resolutions against terrorism, that call for fighting it, tightening the noose
on it and cutting off the sources of its human and material funding, would be
interpreted in an arbitrary and one-sided manner contrary to those resolutions
themselves. These UN resolutions stress unequivocally on respecting the
independence and sovereignty of Iraq, as well as obliging that whatever support
and backing is given should be at the request of the Iraqi government and in
cooperation and coordination with it.

“It is only the Iraqi executive and legislative authorities, in accordance with
their duties based on the Constitution, that are entitled to the final say on the issue of coordinating external support and backing,
and employing it properly in the battle to liberate our land from terrorist Daesh
and ensure the return of displaced people to their areas. It is the
responsibility of the government and its security and military forces to secure
their lives and property.

“We, in the Iraqi Communist Party,
while condemning all interference and violation of the sovereignty and independence
of our country by any party, and while demanding the immediate withdrawal of Turkish
troops from our territory, call on the Iraqi government to resort to the UN
Security Council to address the issue as a whole in order to secure for Iraq
its rights as a sovereign state.

“In the context of addressing this important and essential matter, that
has repercussions for the present and future of Iraq, it should be pointed out that
many of the issues that are taking place now, including this new condemned Turkish
invasion, would not have taken place if it had not been for the state of weakness
caused by the divisions and conflicts among the ruling blocs and parties and the
abhorrent sectarian power-sharing policy, giving priority to partisan interests
at the expense of the higher national interest, and relying on external powers to
impose facts on the ground inside Iraq. These are, in all circumstances, time
bombs that do not provide guarantees for security and stability in the country.

“These delicate and critical circumstances require a clear position from
all sides in Iraq, an awareness of the dangers threatening the homeland, an
effort to strengthen national unity, and to proceed along the path of real reform,
correcting the path of the political process and ridding it of the serious shortcomings,
carrying out the national reconciliation process and strengthening the bonds of
the social fabric. It is also crucial to properly employ all the national
factors and external aid in the battle for salvation from Daesh and terrorism,
to achieve security and stability, and to launch a development process that
provides a life of pride and dignity for the Iraqi people.

“Only in this way we can provide the prerequisites of power and strength
and ensure that Iraq is truly free and sovereign, with its people having the
reins of their own decision and deciding their future in accordance with to
their own free will.”

Thursday, 1 October 2015

Across Iraq successive
mass protests have been erupting against the self-serving and cynical elite –
on a scale not seen for decades, writes SALAM ALI

OVER more than seven
weeks now, since the end of July, Baghdad and other provinces in central and
southern Iraq have witnessed the rise of a broad popular movement that has not
been seen for many decades in our country.

It has culminated in
successive mass protests, the most important of which were demonstrations and
strikes by workers and employees of “self-financing” companies of the Ministry
of Industry.

This popular movement has
gained momentum with the participation of hundreds of thousands of citizens of
various social and political affiliations in all provinces.

The political base of the
protests, which were launched mainly by civil and democratic forces, has
broadened and also received the support of the highest Shi’ite authority in
Najaf.

The popular uprising has
come as an expression of the explosion of people’s anger as a result of the
failure of governments of the sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system, both at
the federal and provincial levels, and the inability of governments to run the
country, serve the interests of the people and the country and provide the bare
minimum of security and services for a decent dignified life, as well as
failing to effectively combat terrorism and its instruments.

One of the most important
factors that helped deepen the crisis and intensify the suffering of the people
is the ferocious war against the terrorist organisation Isis (also known by its
Arab acronym “Daesh”) since the fall of the city of Mosul on June 10 2014 and
the subsequent loss of government control of over a third of Iraq’s territory.

This was a result of the
collapse of a military and security institution that was built on a sectarian
basis which suffered corruption and mismanagement.

The political crisis was
further aggravated by the worsening economic situation after the recent sharp
fall in oil prices, leading to the fall of Iraq’s oil revenues by half.

The existence of more
than three million internally displaced people, as a result of the war with
Isis, has also created an enormous humanitarian and economic problem that
exceeds the capabilities of the state.

All this has led to an
increase in the proportion of people under the poverty line to over 30 per cent
of the population.

Meanwhile, a small social
stratum of parasitic nature and a corrupt political elite have continued to
accumulate enormous wealth and enjoy extravagant privileges.

The deterioration of
electricity supply in an exceptionally hot summer may have sparked the first
protest demonstrations, but the people’s demands soon deepened towards pressing
for resolute measures to combat corruption and hold the corrupt to account,
especially those who hold leading positions in the state.

The mass demonstrations
that have been held every Friday in Tahrir (Liberation) Square in Baghdad, and
also in 10 other major cities, recognise that combating corruption strengthens
the battle against terrorism, as one feeds the other.

They have also called for
political reform and for urgent measures to reform the judiciary, without which
it would not be possible to implement the required reforms.

The mass popular
movement, which has been continuing for seven weeks, has attracted hundreds of
thousands of people, broadening its social and political base.

Demonstrations and
protests have now extended from major cities to districts and rural areas in
some provinces.

They are organised by
many co-ordinating committees with the participation of civil and democratic
activists and groups.

There has been a
significant participation of youth, estimated to constitute over 80 per cent of
the demonstrators. Women have also played an important role. As the protests
escalated, more social forces joined, including several professional bodies and
trade unions.

It is very important to
note the predominant peaceful, national, popular and civil character of the
mass protest movement, which surpasses the sectarian and ethnic divisions and
secondary identities, thus fostering the Iraqi national identity.

The protests have
focussed on combating corruption and bringing the corrupt to account, achieving
political reform and getting rid of sectarian-ethnic power-sharing, and
providing services.

Thanks to the national
and popular character of the demonstrations, and the legitimacy and realistic
nature of their demands and slogans, as well their peaceful and civil nature,
they have exerted enormous popular pressure which forced both the government
and parliament to respond quickly by presenting packages of reforms.

The first, announced by
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on August 9, included abolishing three
vice-presidential positions as well as two posts of deputy prime minister.

Subsequent reforms have
included reducing the size of his government by a third, reducing the security
details of government officials and members of parliament, as well as reducing
their salaries.

But far more radical
changes and legislation are needed to destabilise the foundations of
sectarian-ethnic power-sharing system that was implemented by the US occupation
authorities after the war in 2003 and put an end to it. It is a big challenge.

If the reforms begin to
seriously undermine the power-sharing system, it is expected that the ruling
groups (Shi’ite, Sunni and Kurdish) will begin to bury their divisions and
unite to preserve their positions in power and privileges.

There are already signs
of this process beginning. After recovering from the initial “shock” as a
result of the mass protests, they are now waging a counter-attack.

They possess enormous
power and wealth, including their influence over the economy.

Civil activists have
therefore criticised the slow pace of reforms and the lack of effective
mechanisms and a clearly defined timetable for their implementation.

Abadi’s reforms have not
yet touched the essence of the deep political crisis engulfing the country.

There is increasing
evidence of attempts to sabotage the peaceful protest movement, including
physical attacks and direct threats against activists and independent media
workers.

In the city of Hilla, in
Babylon province, special security forces attacked peaceful protesters who
marched to the offices of the provincial government.

Despite intimidation and
threats by the media linked to ruling groups, thousands of people came out to
Tahrir Square in central Baghdad on Friday September 11.

In addition to repeating
the main demands for political reform, they called for “a civil state and
social justice.”

Once again, the civil and
national character of the demonstrations in Baghdad and 10 other major cities
was predominant.

After seven weeks of mass
demonstrations, and more than a month since the announcement of Abadi’s reform
packages, what has been achieved on the ground is very small and modest.

The very limited reforms
which have so far been announced need to be complemented with deeper reforms.

Popular pressure and
oversight are therefore essential to ensure the proper implementation of the
reform process in the interests of the Iraqi people.

Salam Ali is a member of the
central committee of the Iraqi Communist Party.